What Works For You, Doesn't Work For Me

  Sometimes, I wish I could make this blog anonymous; maybe one day I will create an incognito blog account where I can share my thoughts without fear of backlash from people that I know, but for now, I will maintain my "open book" personality with my readers. I've decided that this is my own corner of the Internet, and I'm allowed to express what I feel.

  I'm constantly reminded on just how aware I am of the people in my generation that feel as if they need to follow a specific suit in life-- go to college, have a career, get married, have children, buy a house, and so-on and so-forth. Honestly, it can feel as a bit of a rebellion anytime that we may decide to step outside of the realm of those expectations.
  I put college "on-hold" after a few years of attending and now, I've stacked-up debt that I now have to pay-off; granted, the debt could be worse, but it's still a monster that I have to tackle. I hate to tell people that I dropped out of college because I feel like it carries such a sense of shame. "Oh, yeah, I dropped out of college. No, I'm not taking any classes right now. Yes, I'm working every free moment that I have." It feels shameful, and that's stupid. It shouldn't feel shameful. I spent three years of my life wasting my time and money changing my degree seven or eight times; I had no idea what it was that I truly wanted to do, and when I finally had a clue on what I felt like I wanted to do, I realized I didn't exactly need a degree. College wasn't right for me at this time in my life, and that's okay. For some, it is the right time and the right thing to do. I may go back, I also may not go back. For now, I work and save every extra penny that I can get.
  The truth of the matter is, folks: whatever works for you is what works. If working the minute you're out of high school is what life holds for you, so be it. If you realize that you need a Bachelor's degree or a Doctorate's degree to go out and accomplish what you want out of life, go and get it. If you find someone that you cannot imagine your life without, then so be it-- get married when you see fit. If you're someone who wants kids, alright. If not, that's cool, too. What I'm really trying to say is: there is no "one size fits all" story to life-- everyone has a different one and you shouldn't feel ashamed to live your story "outside" of what seems to be the expected blueprints of life; what makes you happy may not be someone else's cup of tea, and vise-versa.
  I hope that no matter where you're at in this life, you're happy, and if you're not happy in this moment, that you're, at the very least, working towards what makes you the happiest version of you that there could ever possibly be, because ultimately, that's all that matters.
  Go out and chase your passions, whatever that may entail. Find hobbies that excite you. I'm a huge believer in the fact that once you've found something that electrifies your zeal for life and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, you've found you're calling-- what you're meant to spend your time doing. I hope you find a 101 different things that make you feel that way.
  Life is too incredibly short to spend it doing anything short of what makes you the happiest, healthiest, irrepressibly-exuberant version of yourself. Don't let anyone shy you away from that fact.

kati